Steering Wheel Not Centered

[BlackTomC]

Explanation: My steering wheel used to be straight. One day, when my suburban was off, I tried turning the steering wheel, I yanked REALLY hard, and I heard some scrunchy sound, then the steering wheel turned, and the wheels did not.

Question: Any idea what the heck happened? The steering wheel now sits turned to the right quite a bit (while driving straight) and turning on my right blinker is a PITA because something shifted inside the steering column.

Sorry for all the questions, I've got nowhere else to go to.

Thanks in advance.

[zieg85]

Check for a cracked frame where your steering box is mounted too.

[BlackTomC]

Checked out the frame and everything looks good, even had my brother start the burb up and turn the steering wheel while I watched the gearbox, no play it in whatsoever.

[zieg85]

How is the rag joint?

[BlackTomC]

From what I can tell, it looks fine.

[zieg85]

Put the cocked steering wheel at the spot where it would be going down the road straight and see if the same turns to the left matches the same amount to the right.  Check your sleeves to make sure nothing skipped.  Check the toe-in and if it is within reason your steering box might have a bad spot in it now.  It doesn't take much to adjust a crocked steering wheel, but to have one just happen with a scrunchy sound that is cause for concern.  You don't want your steering to lock, been there done that in my early stupidity newbie years by trying to take the play out of the steering box and obviously got it to tight and something broke.  It wasn't fun changing it on the street so I could get how without being towed

[BlackTomC]

So I was able to cruise home on my lunch break and check it out.. It seems as though the steering wheel will turn farther to the right than it will to the left, which I believe is being caused by the steering stabilizer I took off to paint and put back on wrong(see attached photo)? Will officially start it when I get home and measure up its turning capabilities.

Also, forgive me for currently being a noob, but is a sleeve? Is that inside the gearbox?

[zieg85]

Also, forgive me for currently being a noob, but is a sleeve? Is that inside the gearbox?

The sleeve is the point that attaches the center link to the tie rod ends that adjusts for the toe in.  If that has rusted or was not tightened fully with force could skip threads and cause it to be out of alignment.

[Irish_Alley]

does the steering wheel have play in it? i really dont see it but could the splines on the steering wheel be stripped or lose to a point that allowed you to spin it? have someone turn the wheel while the engine is off this will put more strain on the parts and should show you a problem area or you will finish breaking something that might be half broken

[BlackTomC]

So I checked out that sleeve, and its solid. All the steering linkage is rock solid. The steering wheel does not have play in it, I've tried shutting the burb off and turning the steering wheel the other direction to recorrect the issue, and to be quite honest I don't feel like ripping on it as hard as I did before just to correct the issue.

With the engine off the steering wheel sits it place nice and tight with no play in it. I ran the question by two of my mechanic buddies, they mentioned something about a vulcanized piece of plastic I could've destroyed somehow? No clue what that is.

[BlackTomC]

What's interesting also is now I have to really rip on the turn signal switch to get the right blinker to come on, but the left comes on normally (no ripping)... Which leads me to believe something moved directly behind the steering wheel in the steering column, just don't know what it is.

[BlackTomC]

So, so far nothing. I'm tearing the steering column apart this weekend and I'll post what actually happened, so all of you will now something, apparently, no one on the dang internet knows. I'm a powerlifter, when they told me to turn the steering wheel, I turned it, and it turned.. but the wheels didn't. Gearbox is fine, ragjoint is fine, everything's fine.... Thinking it turned on the splines... crap crap

Stay tuned.

[BlackTomC]

Quickly recap.

There is no play in the steering wheel, it feels brand new.
Turn signals don't work properly anymore after the wheel turned (since the steering wheel permanently turned to the right, the right turn signal barely works, the left works unusually well, as before, they both worked great.)
Tires are straight
Rag joint is fine
Tie rods and whatever heck the else controls steering is fine..

Something inside that steering column moved and I'm going to figure it out.

[fitz]

I'm a powerlifter, when they told me to turn the steering wheel, I turned it, and it turned..

  I have to ask what I'm sure you get asked all the time, what do you bench? I got 315lbs back in my heyday.
  As far as your truck, if you got the wheel to turn with the ignition key off, I'm guessing you bent the locking plate/pin set up.
  This is what keeps thieves (at least the weak ones) from being able to steer a truck without the keys.
  You may have done more damage, but I can't see how the wheel would turn unless the locking plate/pin got bent.
  Captkaos did a great write up in the tech section on how to fix a loose tilt column.  This write up will walk you through pulling your column apart (I cut & pasted this pic from his write up).
  The locking plate is the big round piece with the holes on the outer ring.  The locking pin is in the top left of the locking plate. With the ignition key in the off position, the pin engages the locking ring, when the key is the run position, the pin retracts from the lock ring and the steering wheel can turn. I'm guessing yours is bent.

[fitz]

  This is the locking plate & pin picture from the  Captkaos tilt column repair write up in the tech section.  I'm thinking this is a good place to start looking for problems.